as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
the film's clichéd story of an underdog who overcomes insurmountable odds to win
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Recent Examples of clichéd
The country earned first place with a large margin, reinforcing its almost cliched reputation as being exceptionally polite.
—
Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2026
When Daisy slams the bedroom door in frustration, June can’t help but smile at the cliched rebellion.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Honking horns and screeching tires used to be a cliched scene-setting device for writers describing Paris.
—Marie Patino, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
A day to profile that cliched ‘Manchester United DNA’.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The negotiation chatter between Sam and train authorities is tightly intercut with Marsha confronting danger in a cabin in the woods, a rather cliched side story that doesn’t add much.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
There are only states of being — all stories have become obsolete and cliched, and have resolved themselves.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2026
When Daisy slams the bedroom door in frustration, June can’t help but smile at the cliched rebellion.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Honking horns and screeching tires used to be a cliched scene-setting device for writers describing Paris.
—Marie Patino, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
A day to profile that cliched ‘Manchester United DNA’.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The negotiation chatter between Sam and train authorities is tightly intercut with Marsha confronting danger in a cabin in the woods, a rather cliched side story that doesn’t add much.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
There are only states of being — all stories have become obsolete and cliched, and have resolved themselves.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clichéd
Adjective
-
This is a directed, stereotyped behavior in which the highest-resolution region of the somatosensory surface is brought to bear on the object requiring the most detailed analysis.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
In some cases, praise took on overtly stereotyped forms: words like 'love' were used disproportionately with female students, while 'powerful' appeared only for Black students.—
Rachel del Guidice,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
My wife lowers her gaze as if tired, rubbing the side of her glass with her fingers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The first step is to avoid the tired trap of pitting a liberal arts education against a technical or practical one.—
Jamie Merisotis,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Maybe so, but think of how badly Congress had stated those hackneyed ideas.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
While not exactly a feminist screed, the script grants nary a free pass to the glut of hackneyed gender conventions in the golden-age canon without at least cracking a joke.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There is no cultural ethnic pandering, no consideration to what, in this context, would have been a trite idea of diversity and inclusion.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
1 June 2026
-
But Hacks never really engaged with the complexity of those disclosures, and by Kathy’s brief appearance this final season, she’s smoothed out into a trite obstacle in Ava’s quest to reboot Deborah’s old sitcom.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clichéd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9d. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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